Parametric Investigation on the Electrical-Thermal Performance of Battery Modules with a Pumped Two-Phase Cooling System

Abstract

The pumped two-phase cooling method is a practical way to dissipate heat from the battery module. The operating parameters of the cooling system should be investigated thoroughly to improve the performance of the battery thermal management system (BTMS). However, the previous BTMS designs only explored the thermal performance and ignored the electrical performance in the battery module. This study designed a pumped two-phase cooling BTMS with the refrigerant of R1233zd. An electrothermal coupled model was established for a series-connected battery module to predict thermal and electrical behavior. The results showed that the pumped two-phase cooling system could obtain excellent cooling performance with low system pressure under 2C discharging condition. The average temperature of the module and the temperature difference among cells could be maintained under 40 °C and 5 K under a 2C discharging rate. A lower saturation temperature, higher mass flux, and higher subcooling degree could enhance heat dissipation for the cooling system based on R1233zd. An increase in the saturation temperature and a decrease in the subcooling degree could enhance the temperature uniformity within the module. The battery consistency was mainly dominated by the temperature difference and deteriorated with a lower average temperature in the pack. The research outcome of this paper can guide the design and optimization of the pumped two-phase cooling BTMS.